Charges against gov's ex-aide, woman dropped

A former Virginia gubernatorial aide and his ex-girlfriend have declined to pursue domestic assault charges against each other.

The Richmond Dispatch reports that a judge dropped the charges against Erik J. Finkbeiner and Summer Hudson on Thursday.

The 44-year-old Finkbeiner is a lawyer who served for less than two years as Gov. Bob McDonnell's chief policy adviser and led his unsuccessful effort to privatize state-owned liquor stores.

Finkbeiner and the 34-year-old Hudson refused to testify in Chesterfield General District Court, invoking their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. They were the only witnesses to the assault allegations, so the judge dropped the charges and ordered Finkbeiner and Hudson to have no further contact with each other.